Town Square

Local Boy Scouts want change in sexual-orientation policy

Original post made
on Mar 29, 2013

The national Boy Scouts of America policy prohibiting homosexual people from becoming members or leaders is out of touch, parents and some scout leaders said after a meeting Monday night, March 25, on the topic of changing the organization's stance.

Posted by Laura C
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 29, 2013 at 10:37 am

If the National organization doesn't change their discriminatory policy re gays, I think the Palo Alto chapters should consider joining the Boy Scouts in the UK. The UK Scouts are not under the wing of the Christian fundamentalist forces that are running the Boy Scouts of America from Texas. The UK even includes girls!

The Boy Scouts do include girls--there are 3 co-ed programs for ages 14-20--Sea Scouts, Venturing (high adventure) and Exploring which focuses on careers (locally they have law enforcement, firefighting, and medical--through PAMF). The teen programs are open to all kids, not just current scouts and are over 35% female.

Posted by Observer
a resident of South of Midtown
on Mar 29, 2013 at 11:22 am

Eagle Parent, No, they do not include all kids. They exclude gay kids. My children are not allowed to participate in boy scouts as they discriminate. I don't buy their wreaths at Christmas. It's too bad that bigotry is part of their rules. If the national organization leaves it up to the individual troops they are passing the buck and continuing to foster this awful practice.

BSA National charters the local Pacific Skyline Council. The Council claims that it "interprets" the policy against "open and avowed homosexuals" such that it is "don't ask don't tell" but it also admits that if National instructed it to expel a scout for being "open and avowed" it would do so. Pacific Skyline claims that it privately rejects this policy and it should do so publicly. PacSky should reject this bigoted policy and pass a resolution like Mt. Diablo Council did to urge national to repeal the ban. Visit Scouts for Equality to learn more: Web Link

Posted by parent
a resident of Downtown North
on Mar 29, 2013 at 12:53 pm

I can remember when some Boy Scout chapters had formal policies of excluding African-American boys from leadership positions (not in the Bay Area, but in other parts of the USA). No, I am not 100 years old. I'm glad they are coming around on discrimination, albeit very slowly.

Posted by Tony Porterfield
a resident of Los Altos
on Mar 30, 2013 at 10:24 pmTony Porterfield is a registered user.

Navigators USA (I am a leader in Los Altos, and there is a chapter in Palo Alto) and Baden-Powell Service Association (active chapters in Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale) both offer scouting programs that are open to all people and always have been.